1. STATEMENT BY PATRICIA DE LILLE
This is the second time the Independent Democrats is participating in the National and Provincial elections.
In the National Elections in 2004, 267 000 South Africans voted for the Independent Democrats. In the Local Elections in 2006, over half a million South Africans voted for our vision and approach.
In these two elections, the Independent Democrats was the fastest growing political party in our country. The ID now has representation at all three levels of government, with MPs, MPLs and Councillors. We are a part of Government in 26 municipalities across our country and our membership has already passed 300 000.
Research conducted by Markinor shows that we are on our way to doubling our support and that 1 million South Africans will unite behind our vision and approach. The same research also shows that we have the most diverse support of any party. In announcing our election lists today, you will see a reflection of that diversity. Our top ten national candidates include women, youth and a person with a disability.
2. LIST OF TOP TEN CANDIDATES ON NATIONAL LIST
1. PATRICIA DE LILLE
2. HANIFF HOOSEN
3. ARI SEIRLIS
4. JOE MCGLUWA
5. KHOSI MNCEDANE
6. AGNES TSAMAI
7. STEVEN OTTER
8. BRETT HERRON
9. AUBREY TSHALATA
10. XANTHEA LIMBERG
3. PROFILES FOR TOP TEN NATIONAL CANDIDATES
1. PATRICIA DE LILLE
Patricia de Lille, the president of the Independent Democrats, has been active in politics for a quarter of a century. She is known for her role as a trade unionist in the struggle and as the initial whistle-blower on the infamous arms-deal corruption.
In 1988 she was elected vice-president of the National Council of Trade Unions. She became an MP in 1994 and went on to chair the parliamentary committee on transport until 1999. On March 26 2003 she formed the Independent Democrats, which won national and provincial seats in the 2004 elections, becoming the first woman since freedom to do so.
De Lille has been the recipient of numerous awards including being voted Woman of the Year by Rapport/City Press and one of the Top 5 Women in Government and Government Agencies, and has been recognised as a leading HIV/Aids activist by an international organisation. She is a former chancellor of the Durban Institute of Technology, an Honorary Colonel in the SANDF and serves on the boards of the African Monitor, the Helen Suzman Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.
She has been described by Nelson Mandela as "a strong, principled woman" and his "favourite opposition politician".
2. HANIFF HOOSEN
The IDs' Secretary-General and MP, Haniff Hoosen, hails from Durban and studied for a B Proc degree in Law.
In September 2005 Hoosen joined the Independent Democrats and was soon after appointed as the IDs' Election Campaign Manager in March 2006. He also served as an ID Councillor on the Durban Metro Council in 2006.
After becoming a member of the IDs' National Executive Committee, Hoosen was elected as the IDs' Secretary General in 2007 where after he was elected to National Parliament in 2008. Hoosen currently serves on the Education and Safety & Security portfolio committees. He is also the former Chairperson of the Independent Democrats Councillors Forum.
3. ARI SEIRLIS
Ari Seirlis is the National Director of the QuadPara Association of South Africa and has held the position since 2001. The Association strives to prevent spinal cord injury, as well as protect and promote the interests of people with mobility impairments. Ari Seirlis matriculated at Hilton College and studied at UCT and completed an IMM at the Natal Technikon. Ari broke his neck in a car accident in 1985 which rendered him a quadriplegic. After 6 months of Hospitalization and Rehabilitation, he returned to complete his studies, and thereafter started his own business. Ari has been involved in a variety of organizations across South Africa, including as the Vice-President of The Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities, a Management Member of SPINAL REHAB CENTRE (Phoenix), Chairman of AMASONDO (private suite for the disabled at Kings Park) and Executive Management of Quadriplegic Association of Kwazulu-Natal.
4. JOE MCGLUWA
Joe Mcgluwa, the National Organiser of the Independent Democrats, who has overseen the rapid growth of the party by setting up constituency offices country-wide, was born in Johannesburg and grew up in Klerksdorp in the 1960s and 1970s.
His roles as national organizer include the assessment and verification of party structures, undertaking regular performance audits of all constituency offices throughout the country and arranging programmes of visits to all provinces by the party President. In addition, he supervises all constituency offices and organizers of the party.
Mcgluwa has served as a Councillor in the Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality since 2006 and was recently appointed as a Member of Parliament in the NCOP.
5. KHOSI MNCEDANE
Her experience in politics led delegates at the Gauteng inaugural provincial conference to elect Nomakhosazana Mncedane to the chair of ID Women's Agenda in the province. Born in the Eastern Cape on the 25th May 1952, she went to train as a correctional officer at the Baviaanspoort training college in 1974.
It was life as a correctional officer that led her into the terrain of politics when she and others founded the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) in 1992. She climbed the ladder within the correctional services department to the assistant directorship, a post she resigned in 2004. Mncedane obtained a Diploma in Correctional Services Management as well as Diploma in Human Resources Management whilst in the employment of the Department.
Mncedane was a member of the Gauteng legislature when she joined the ID in 2007. Mncedane is in the process of building strong ID branches in Pretoria.
6. AGNES TSAMAI
The deputy president of the Independent Democrats has been involved in politics for most of her life. She grew up in the volatile 1960s and 70s and attended Orlando High School in Soweto. After matriculating in 1971, she trained as a nurse but remained actively involved in numerous community projects.
Tsamai was active in politics during the apartheid years and says that she devoted much of her time to politics as it was the only genuine way one could contribute to society when she grew up. In 2004, she joined the ID and soon became a councillor and put her years of experience in community service to good use.
7. STEVEN OTTER
Steven Otter has served as the National Media Officer for the Independent Democrats for more than two years.
He was born in Johannesburg and grew up in the Eastern Cape. He received a diploma in journalism from Peninsula Technikon and worked as a journalist, photographer and sub-editor before joining the Independent Democrats. Otter is the author of the book, ‘Khayelitsha - uMlungu in a Township' and has presented part of a writing programme to juvenile prisoners at Pollsmoor Prison.
He is passionate about transformation, human development and ending all forms of racism.
8. BRETT HERRON
Born and raised in Durban, KZN, Brett is a Graduate of the University of Natal and holds a BA and LL.B degree. Prior to being admitted as an Attorney in 1994, Brett did his articles of clerkship in Durban. He then practised as an attorney until the beginning of 1998 before moving to New York City where lived and worked until the end of 2001 when returned to South Africa. He then became involved in legal education by acquiring the South African Law School in 2002, and is currently the Director the school, one of the few private law school's in South Africa that is fully accredited. Brett has been an ID member for several years, before being elected Policy Convenor for the Cape Town Metro District Executive Committee in July 2008.
9. AUBREY TSHALATA
Aubrey Tshalata is the ID Provincial Elections Coordinator for Kwazulu-Natal. He is currently the National General Secretary of the National Federation for the Building Industry (NAFBI), which has 6 400 members across the country. Tshalata has served as the General Secretary of NAFCOC and has worked at management level for a variety of companies and is the Managing Director of the Palcard Group. He has sat on a number of Government Advisory Councils, including the Advisory Council on Health and Safety and the Employment Conditions Commission, which determines conditions of employment in a number of sectors.
Tshalata holds a BA in Psychology (University of Zululand) and a post graduate degree in employment law and social security (UCT). He received certificates for Programme Management Development (PMD) and the Mastering Strategy Executive Programme from the University of Pretoria and the Gordon Institute of Business Science. He also holds a certificate in International Labour Migration from the International Labour Organisation at the Turin Centre, in Italy.
10. XANTHEA LIMBERG
Xanthea Tyrrell Limberg is currently a Politics student at the University of Cape Town, majoring in Public Policy and Administration. She is an active member of YIDSO at the UCT campus, and also works as an intern for the Independent Democrats at their Head Office in Parliament. This young woman has been passionate about politics since the age of 15 years old and has been part of the ID since the age of seventeen. According to Xanthea her ultimate objective in life, wherever she goes, is to inspire the youth of South Africa, to become more involved and aware of the role politics plays in building our nation.
4. LIST OF PREMIER CANDIDATES
Western Cape Premier Candidate: Patricia de Lille
Northern Cape Premier Candidate: Schalk Lubbe
Eastern Cape Premier Candidate: Khwezi Theo Ngalolo
Kwazulu-Natal Premier Candidate: Aubrey Tshalata
Free State Premier Candidate: Hendrik Klopper
Gauteng Premier Candidate: Rose Gudlhuza
North West Premier Candidate: Harold Mcgluwa
Mpumalanga Premier Candidate: James Mbetse
Limpopo Premier Candidate: Edward Mulaudzi
5. PROFILES FOR PREMIER CANDIDATES
Western Cape Premier Candidate: Patricia de Lille
Patricia de Lille, the president of the Independent Democrats, has been active in politics for a quarter of a century. She is known for her role as a trade unionist in the struggle and as the initial whistle-blower on the infamous arms-deal corruption.
In 1988 she was elected vice-president of the National Council of Trade Unions. She became an MP in 1994 and went on to chair the parliamentary committee on transport until 1999. On March 26 2003 she formed the Independent Democrats, which won national and provincial seats in the 2004 elections, becoming the first woman since freedom to do so.
De Lille has been the recipient of numerous awards including being voted Woman of the Year by Rapport/City Press and one of the Top 5 Women in Government and Government Agencies, and has been recognised as a leading HIV/Aids activist by an international organisation. She is a former chancellor of the Durban Institute of Technology, an Honorary Colonel in the SANDF and serves on the boards of the African Monitor, the Helen Suzman Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.
She has been described by Nelson Mandela as "a strong, principled woman" and his "favourite opposition politician".
Northern Cape Premier Candidate: Schalk Lubbe
The Independent Democrats National Treasurer and Mayor of Springbok, Schalk Lubbe, has a long standing history in politics. Born in 1936, Lubbe started his political career in the 1970's.
Born on a farm in the Northern Cape, Lubbe matriculated at the Prieska High School where after he worked at an asbestos-mine for 24 years. Here he was responsible for finance and administration.
Lubbe has been a part of the Independent Democrats since 2005. In 2007 he was elected as the ID's National Treasurer, a position he still holds today.
He is also an associate member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.
In his spare time Lubbe enjoys music and mountaineering.
Eastern Cape Premier Candidate: Khwezi Theo Ngalolo
Khwezi was born in Ngcanacini location in Mquanduli in the Eastern Cape. Khwezi cut his teeth in politics at a tender age. A former AAWUSA leader, Khwezi is also currently the organiser and chief negotiator for the Services Allied Workers Union, SAWUSA. After joining the Independent Democrats, he soon climbed the ranks, and was recently appointed as the Provincial Chairperson of the ID in the Eastern Cape. He is a self made man, with extensive training in labour matters and entrepreneurship.
Kwazulu-Natal Premier Candidate: Aubrey Tshalata
Aubrey Tshalata is the ID Provincial Elections Coordinator for Kwazulu-Natal. He is currently the National General Secretary of the National Federation for the Building Industry (NAFBI), which has 6 400 members across the country. Tshalata has served as the General Secretary of NAFCOC and has worked at management level for a variety of companies and is the Managing Director of the Palcard Group. He has sat on a number of Government Advisory Councils, including the Advisory Council on Health and Safety and the Employment Conditions Commission, which determines conditions of employment in a number of sectors.
Tshalata holds a BA in Psychology (University of Zululand) and a post graduate degree in employment law and social security (UCT). He received certificates for Programme Management Development (PMD) and the Mastering Strategy Executive Programme from the University of Pretoria and the Gordon Institute of Business Science. He also holds a certificate in International Labour Migration from the International Labour Organisation at the Turin Centre, in Italy.
Free State Premier Candidate: Hendrik Klopper
Hendrik Klopper was born and bred in Philippollis in the Free State. He holds a National Police Management Diploma and was an investigating officer for many years, before venturing into a number of business interests. He has a keep interest in the wellbeing of his community, and joined the ID in April 2007.
Gauteng Premier Candidate: Rose Gudlhuza
Rose Gudlhuza, the current chair of the Independent Democrats in Gauteng, was elected, to her position, unopposed in August after having led the party on an acting basis. Gudlhuza was recruited to the party by President Patricia de Lille to established structures and ensure visibility in Gauteng.
Born in Limpopo, Gudlhuza moved to Johannesburg in 1990, where she worked as a legal secretary in a firm, where her husband was practising. This paved her way into the regional offices of the Democratic Alliance where she remained until she joined the ID in 2005.
Gudlhuza's mandate has been to make the ID a vibrant organisation in Gauteng. In 2007, she founded the ID's Women Agenda and is the current national chair.
Rose is hoping to finish her BEd studies in 2009, where after she intends pursuing a law degree, leaning on civil matters.
She's currently a member of, among others, the portfolio committees on housing, Gender and people living with disabilities as well as the ethics committee of the Gauteng Legislature. Recently Gudlhuza also became a member of the Committee on Scrutiny of Subordinate Legislation (CSSL).
North West Premier Candidate: Harold Mcgluwa
Harold Mcgluwa, currently resides in the North West, and completed his grade 11 at the Alabama High school in 1982. He then went on to complete his NTS 3 at Highveld Technical College, and received a SANAS - SABS verification officer certificate in trade metrology. He worked for 12 years before opening up his own business in the field of weighing instrumentation scales. Harold is on a number of boards of Directors, and is a member of Klerksdorp THS High School governing body, local sport council and involved with local communities, development officer for the North West Power Boat Association and is also the Deputy Chairperson of the North West Power Boat Association. He is also the former President of the North West Table Tennis Association.
Mcgluwa joined the ID in 2003 to form structures in all districts in the North West which included the Northern Cape and Gauteng. He has also held a number of positions in the ID. Amongst others he is the former Provincial Secretary, Member of the National Executive council of the ID, North West Provincial Chairperson and a member of the Disciplinary Committee.
Mpumalanga Premier Candidate: James Mbetse
James Mbetse is from Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga, and is self taught and skilled in the construction industry. He has also honed his skills in the metal finishing industry. James currently holds the position of Provincial Co-ordinator, after he joined the ID in November last year. He is currently the national president of National Federation for the Building Industry (NAFBI).
Limpopo Premier Candidate: Edward Mulaudzi
Edward Mulaudzi hails from the Zhembe District in Limpopo, and is a bricklayer. His involvement with politics started many years ago and he joined the ID after the 2004 elections where he held a councillors position. In 2007 he became the National Convener of the ID in Limpopo, a position he holds till today.
6. REGIONAL TO NATIONAL - WESTERN CAPE LIST
1. LANCE GREYLING
2. GEORGE MARCH
3. PEARL STANFLIET
4. JACOBUS GREEFF
5. STEVEN OTTER
6. MERCIA DRAGHOENDER
7. GAWA SAMUELS
8. GEORLENE WOLMARANS
9. SHIREEN AUGUST
10. SAMUEL CLAASSEN
7. WESTERN CAPE LIST
1. PATRICIA DE LILLE
2. IZAK JENNER
3. BRETT HERRON
4. SARAH PAULSE
5. RODNEY LENTIT
6. SHAUN AUGUST
7. PEARL STANFLIET
8. BAZIL PETRUS
9. MERCIA DRAGHOENDER
10. GEORLENE WOLMARANS
Statement issued by the Independent Democrats, March 1 2009
